Trip Itinerary: Grand Island to Kearney

Covered wagons moved along both sides of the gritty Platte River, which takes its name from a French word meaning “flat.” The treeless Nebraska plain made some emigrants feel exposed and vulnerable—especially when black thunderclouds threatened. Other travelers found the flower-freckled prairie a place of beauty and wonder. Travelers also began encountering that great icon of the Plains, the American buffalo. Many later recalled this as the easiest, most pleasant stretch along the combined Oregon-California Trail.

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Learn more at these stops between Grand Island and Kearney:

Learn More about the Oregon Trail

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  Explore history on the Trail

  Oregon National Historic Trail